FRIDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthScoutNews) -- A Mediterranean-style diet may help reduce the risk of coronary artery disease in Asian people, especially those living in western nations, according to new research. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major public health problem facing South Asian people. But that danger can't be explained by conventional risk factors such as high blood pressure or cholesterol.
A study by Indian and Israeli researchers, appearing in tomorrow's issue of The Lancet, included 1,000 people with a history of health problems associated with CAD, including angina, heart attack and diabetes. Half the people were given a Mediterranean-style diet that included whole grains, fruits, vegetables, walnuts and almonds.
That diet is rich in alpha-linolenic acid, believed to benefit the heart.
The other half of the people in the study, the control group, ate a conventional Asian diet.
At the end of two years, the group given the special diet had doubled their daily intake of alpha-linolenic acid. The study group had half the number of sudden cardiac death cases and non-fatal heart attacks compared to the control group.
More information
The American Heart Association has more on the Mediterranean diet.
SOURCE: The Lancet, news release, Nov. 7, 2002~HRTS~
